Nickname:الجزيرة الخضراء Al Jazeera al Khizra | |
|---|---|
 Vumawimbi Beach, Pemba Island | |
  Pemba Location in Tanzania Show map of Tanzania Pemba Pemba (Africa) Show map of Africa | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 5°10′S39°47′E / 5.167°S 39.783°E /-5.167; 39.783 |
| Area | 988 km2 (381 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 119 m (390 ft) |
| Highest point | Masingini Ridge |
| Administration | |
| Region | Zanzibar |
| Capital city | Chake Chake |
| Largest settlement | Wete |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 543,441 (Census 2022) |
| Pop. density | 550/km2 (1420/sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | Country website |
Pemba Island (Arabic:الجزيرة الخضراء,al-Jazīra al-khadrāʔ;Swahili:Kisiwa cha Pemba) is a Tanzanian island forming part of theZanzibar Archipelago, lying within theSwahili Coast in theIndian Ocean.
With a land area of 988 square kilometres (381 sq mi)[1] it is situated about 50 kilometres (25 nautical miles) north ofUnguja, the largest island of the archipelago.
Surrounded by relatively deep water, the island of Pemba is thought to have been a part of the mainland which split off along the Pemba rift approximately 10 million years ago.[2]In 1964,Zanzibar was united with the former colony ofTanganyika to formTanzania. It lies 50 kilometres (25 nmi) east of mainland Tanzania, across thePemba Channel. Together withMafia Island (south of Unguja), these islands form the Spice Islands (not to be confused with theMaluku Islands ofIndonesia).
Most of the island, which is hillier and more fertile than Unguja, is dominated by small scale farming. There is also large scale farming of cash crops such ascloves.
In previous years, the island was seldom visited due to inaccessibility and a reputation forpolitical violence,[citation needed] with the notable exception of those drawn by its reputation as a center fortraditional medicine andwitchcraft. There is a quite largeArab community on theisland, who immigrated fromOman. The population is a mix of Arab and originalWaswahili inhabitants of the island. A significant portion of the population also identifies asShirazi people. The overwhelming majority of the island's population followsIslam and identify as Muslim.
The most important towns in Pemba areChake-Chake (the capital),Mkoani, andWete, which is the largest city. The centrally located Chake-Chake is perched on a mound with a view to the west on a bay and the tinyMisali Island, where the tides determine when adhow can enter the local harbour. Pemba is, with the exception of a strip of land along its eastern coast, a very fertile place: besidesclove trees, the locals grow mainlyrice,coconut,bananas,cassava, andred beans (calledmaharagwe in theSwahili language).
Pemba is home to several dive sites, with steep drop-offs, untouched coral, and very abundant marine life.[3][4]
Pemba has been designated anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports populations ofPemba green pigeons,Pemba scops owls,Pemba white-eyes andPemba sunbirds.[5]
Pemba has a tropical climate, yet somewhat milder than Tanzania's mainland and milder than inUnguja island. This climate is classified as "Aw" by theKöppen-Geiger system. The average temperature inChake Chake is 25.5 °C (77.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,364 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between 24 and 27.4 °C (75.2 and 81.3 °F). There are two rain seasons, with most rainfall coming between April and May and smaller rain season coming between November and December. Drier months are January and February, and a longer drier season between June and October.
| Climate data forChake Chake | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.9 (89.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.5 (83.3) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.8 (83.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 29.8 (85.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.5 (77.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.8 (71.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 19.7 (67.5) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 20.3 (68.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 21.4 (70.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 86 (3.4) | 71 (2.8) | 134 (5.3) | 304 (12.0) | 291 (11.5) | 74 (2.9) | 42 (1.7) | 27 (1.1) | 21 (0.8) | 54 (2.1) | 129 (5.1) | 131 (5.2) | 1,364 (53.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.ORG[6] | |||||||||||||
Archaeological research on Pemba has shown its centrality to the Swahili coast trading system as early as 600 AD.[7] Along the northern coast, urban settlements at Chwaka later developed and flourished from the eleventh century to ~1500 AD.[8]
West of Pemba's capital Chake-Chake, on a long stretched peninsula calledRas Mkumbuu, one can find some of the oldest and best preserved series of early ruins on the islands (Ndagoni ruins, probably 14th century).[9]
East of Chake-Chake one can find theMkama Ndume ruins at Pujini village (south of the airport) within easy reach by road from Chake-Chake. This is the only known early fortification on the whole Swahili Coast; it is dated to the fifteenth century.[10]
According to the Arab geographerYakut, in the mid-13th century there were two independent sultans ruling over parts of Pemba Island.[11]
On 24 June 2016, theAustralianMinister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development,Darren Chester, said that a piece of aircraft debris was found on Pemba Island, possibly being from the missingMalaysia Airlines Flight 370.[12]
Pemba is under the authority of theRevolutionary Government of Zanzibar.[13] Administratively, it is divided into two regions,North Pemba (Pemba Kaskazini) with its capital atWete,[14] andSouth Pemba (Pemba Kusini) with its capital atMkoani.[15] The centrally located city ofChake Chake, near the airport, is considered Pemba's capital,[16][17] and is the seat of Pemba's court and the President of Zanzibar's official Pemba residence.[citation needed]
Pemba is also famous for its rich fishing grounds. Between the island and the mainland there is the deep 50 kilometre wide Pemba Channel, which is one of the most profitable fishing grounds for game fishing on the Swahili Coast.[18]
Pemba is (with the exception of a strip of land along its eastern coast) highly fertile for agriculture which serves the global farming industry.
A large segment of Zanzibar export earnings comes fromcloves. The greatest concentration of clove trees in Zanzibar is found on Pemba (3.5 million trees), as growing conditions on the island are superior to those onUnguja island. Clove trees grow to a height of approximately 10 to 15 metres and can be harvested for sometimes over 50 years.[citation needed] Most of the island, which is hillier and more fertile than Unguja, is dominated by small scale farming. There is also large-scale farming of other crops, primarilyrice,coconuts, andred beans (called maharagwe in Swahili), as well ascassava andbananas.
For the promotion of tourism, the Department of Surveys and Mapping at Chake-Chake has been publishing maps with tourist guides since 1992.[19]
Pemba Airport is also known as Wawi Airport or Karume Airport and connects the island toArusha,Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar City.
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